SI All-American: Ranking the 10 Interior OL in the Class of 2021

SI All-American continues its positional rankings series with a look at the top interior offensive line prospects in the college football recruiting class of 2021.

After compiling several months worth of data in addition to cycling back for a closer look at the 2019 football season, SI All-American has put pen to paper at each position group. 

As we work towards the preseason SI99, ranking the top college football prospects regardless of position, establishing a top 10 ahead of the 2020 season for each position group plays paramount. For the interior offensive line group, we're tracking blockers with the best guard and center traits for the next level, including phone both power, punch, anchor, lateral ability and overall movement skill. 

1. Bryce Foster, Katy (Texas) Taylor

6-foot-5, 315 pounds

Schools of Interest: Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Oregon, among others

Foster checks in as our top interior offensive line (IOL) prospect, as we feel the Texan is an elite and college-ready guard. He looks great on the hoof due to his excellent bulk and mass. Foster shows good bend and plus snap quickness, but what’s more impressive is power and strength at the point. A bully upon contact, he can win control at the point early and uses good upper-body strength to sustain and steer targets in the run game. Strength is also a foundation of his pass-protection skill set, in which Foster is dominant in a phone booth and has easy anchor power. With his solid agility, coupled with his natural strength, we feel Foster can fit in an offense with an even mix of zone and gap scheme blocking concepts. He’s a rare IOL prospect who will be ready to see action early in his college career.

2. Donovan Jackson, Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal

6-foot-4, 305 pounds

Committed to Ohio State

An elite prospect in this class regardless of position, Jackson is another Texan who dominates in the offensive trenches. He currently plays left tackle, yet our staff feels he will make a tremendous IOL at the college level. Jackson has great upper-body strength, which allows him to play with ideal explosiveness at the point of attack with his punch. He has heavy mitts and good churn upon contact, which leads him to driving, finishing and burying his targets. Jackson takes great pride in finishing, which quickly became apparent when we began studying him on tape. He has good movement skills for a big man, as he is currently asked to long-pull and wrap into holes a bit in the run game. The Ohio State commit also has the feet to mirror well in pass-protection, along with using his strength to stymie rushers. The Buckeyes are getting a good one.

3. James Brockermeyer, Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Epsicopal

6-foot-3, 275 pounds

Committed to Alabama

Freshly committed to Alabama, Brockermeyer checks in as a top IOL prospect and we currently feel has the best center traits in the class. The heady tone-setter is tough from the pivot and has savvy, vision and competitiveness. Brockermeyer can execute a no-look gun snap before using good lateral agility to lead flow and cutoff linebackers with good angles. He’s tough at the point and can generate solid churn to dictate to his targets. The Crimson Tide pledge does not panic with a man on his head versus tight/odd fronts and can use quickness and leverage to win early versus bigger noses. Versatility is also an attribute Brockermeyer possesses, as we feel he can also man either guard spot in Tuscaloosa as well.

4. Rocco Spindler, Clarkston (Mich.) High

6-foot-4, 295 pounds

Schools of Interest: Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State, among others.

We feel lineman with wrestling backgrounds tend to possess a better understanding of leverage, among other nuances, than most who do not wrestle. Spindler’s wrestling background shows up on tape from his ability to work with good power and get under his opponent’s pads at the point. He has a good punch that illustrates some strength in his mitts, along with good movement skills to produce in space and on level 2 as the scoop player. His short set can stymie pass-rushers and throw off their timing while he lands and stout punch and trigger his anchor. Spindler is another player on this list who currently works as an offensive tackle and our staff feels good about as an IOL at a big time college program.

5. Jaeden Roberts, Houston (Texas) North Shore

6-foot-4, 345 pounds

Committed to Auburn

While some prospects on this list are currently playing offensive tackle and we project them as interior blockers, Roberts is a true guard prospect. He has incredible mass at 345 pounds and plays with good strength and power. The Auburn commit plays big at the point with good leverage and has enough snap quickness and lateral movement skills to win on a reach, plus he works well on ace-blocks and duos. Roberts plays strong off his set foot in pass-protection, where he makes tough for noses and tackles to get through the A and B gaps with easy anchor ability. While he can execute zone-blocking concepts, Roberts projects as a sound man and gap-scheme concept blocker on The Plains.

6. Marcus Tate, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School

6-foot-5, 325 pounds

Committed to Clemson

Tate is a big bodied offensive lineman who can play guard or tackle at the next level. Though he currently works some as a left tackle, we feel he can kick over to right tackle and fit even better on the interior front for Clemson. His stout frame and good power can stymie rushers trying to convert their speed at the point and he uses his size and trunk to anchor and end protection reps early. He shows enough body quickness and movement to execute joke-blocks in the run game, as well as be reliable to win his matchup in base-block situations. Tate has some swing tackle potential, though we like his traits at guard most right now.

7. Bram Walden, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro

6-foot-4, 275 pounds

Committed to Oregon

Walden has a sturdy frame with big thighs and a thick trunk. He can execute down blocks with sound quickness and fair angles, yet his power at the point when he pulls is even more impressive. The Oregon pledge has good bend and easy movement from his stance at the snap with solid agility and target locate ability. He can use subtle tight-space agility to adjust and get a good fit on targets with solid thump. The future Duck can also work as the scoop man on aces and wrap into holes to lead runners. With his good punch and ability to mirror in phone booths, Walden has very good guard traits that should make him a valued contributor to the offensive front in Eugene.

8. Giovanni El-Hadi, Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson

6-foot-6, 280 pounds

Committed to Michigan

An in-state Michigan commitment, El-Hadi has excellent length and an ideal frame for a high-end blocking prospect. He carries his weight well and easily, and has room to add even more mass. He works good strength and toughness at the point, and he’s currently asked to perform a myriad of down-blocks, reaches and deuces. He can use solid upper-body strength to sustain and does a fair job of churning to move his targets off their mark. El-Hadi has a solid 45-degree pass-set, though he will mix in a jump-set occasionally to alter a rusher’s timing. Another key element to El-Hadi’s game is his motor, which shows up consistently on tape. Whether he mans the right tackle position or moves to the interior in Ann Arbor, El-Hadi has the traits of a solid Big Ten trenchman.

9. Connor Colby, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) John F. Kennedy

6-foot-5, 270 pounds

Committed to Iowa

Some regard Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz as one of the premier offensive line coaches in all of football. That esteem makes Colby almost certain to blossom as a Hawkeye. Thanks to his plus athleticism, the Iowa commit is productive when climbing up to level 2 with good lateral agility, balance and short-area quickness. He can pin, reach and deuce in various concepts and recognize leverage advantages quickly at the point. Although he lacks a vast amount of true pass-protection reps, he does show athletic traits to mirror well along with enough strength and toughness to hold his own in a phone booth. Colby has the athleticism to play nearly every position across the offensive front in college.

10. Owen Prentice, Seattle (Wash.) O’Dea High School

6-foot-4, 285 pounds

Committed to Washington

Prentice is well respected in the Pacific Northwest thanks to what he does in the run game, along with being capable of playing guard or center. He has solid bend and movement out of his stance, and plays with very good vision and awareness. It’s impressive what Prentice does on level 2, showing the ability to pull and trap quickly, wrap into a hole with force or scoop and climb to a linebacker with lateral agility before engulfing. The Seattle native plays nasty at the point and can be a heavy load when delivering contact on targets. He isn’t asked to do a substantial amount of pass-protecting, yet his toughness and wide body should allow him to be efficient for the Washington offense as he acquires more reps and experience. We feel strongly Prentice will develop into a starting guard for the Dawgs.

Who is the new Quarterback U.? Lamar’s Louisville program? Kyler’s Oklahoma? Cam’s Auburn?@theMMQB crunched a decade’s worth of data to find out which school has the right to brand itself the modern QBU https://t.co/OmxX5HdtMe

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 20, 2020

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